Fairy Sword Online
by magicathThedemigod
Summary: Lucy, Natsu, Erza, and Gray are regular teenagers. When they enter the world of Sword Art Online, they find they have been granted unique skills. And where's the logout button? NaLu, KiritoAsuna pairings. Small bits of cursing.
1. Link Start!

**Lucy's POV**

"Lucy, the VRMMO Sword Art Online is coming out this Friday," Erza stated as we sat down at our regular lunch table with Natsu and Gray.

"VRMMO? What is that?" I asked. Natsu and Gray gave me an offended look.

"How do you not know what a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online game is?" Gray recited and scoffed. "It's been all over the news."

"I don't watch the news," it was true. Most of my time at home was spent getting rid of Natsu or writing my story. "I'm always writing."

"SAO is the new full dive video game," Natsu supplied. "Ice Princess and I beta tested it. So did Erza."

"Oh, that game," I remembered now. They used NerveGear to dive into a different world, or something. "The one with the helmet."

Gray's head dropped to the table and everyone groaned. I looked around. "What?"

"Well, I'm going to make you play it with me. On Friday, we're going to wait for the hardcopies to come out," Erza stated as if I didn't have a choice. I stabbed a dumpling and popped it into my mouth.

"Okay, I guess I don't have a choice," Erza gave a nod and turned to Natsu and Gray, who were fighting again. I zoned off, thinking about a dream I've been having repeatedly.

* * *

"Hey Erza, do I really have to wait here with you?"

"Of course, it's more exciting this way."

"...Okay."

* * *

We agreed to start off in the same room, which was voted to be my house. Honestly, they pretty much live here anyway. It took about half an hour to set everything up, including moving all the couch cushions to the floor to lay on and ordering a pizza for later.

"So do we just… start?" I asked. "No setting adjustments or…?"

"Pretty much," Gray answered and made a grab for his own device. "Let's do it."

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu yelled and pulled his own NerveGear from the ground. "I'M ALL FIRED UP!"

"Oi, keep it down, Tabasco Brain," Gray growled as he hooked the helmet to his head.

"You shut up, Shaved Ice Princess!"

"You wanna go!?"

"Hell yeah, I wanna go! Wait, go where?"

"You two aren't fighting, are you?" Erza was standing over the two boys with her hands on her hips. The two boys latched onto each other.

"We're cool!" Gray yelped, smiling like a lunatic.

"Aye!" I could see the sweat on Natsu's neck.

"Good," Erza sat down and the boys let go of each other warily. I sweatdropped and lifted my own NerveGear from the ground, laying down on the floor.

It was heavy, making my head wobble slightly as I let it sit. "Link start!"

"Link start!" came three other simultaneous confirmations, and burst of color followed by a login screen appeared in my vision.

 **Username: LucyH**

 **Password:**************

 **You have no character information loaded. Create a new avatar?**

 _ **Yes.**_

I created an avatar that looked similar to me, except with longer brown hair and blue eyes and named it after myself.

 **Welcome to Sword Art Online!**

* * *

Blue lights flashed, and suddenly, I wasn't in my living room anymore, I was standing in a plaza, with other players running or walking around. There were bars and stats obstructing my vision, and I brought up my hands to stare at them.

"Perfect," I mumbled to myself. I willed my legs to move, and I sprinted past a pair of boys, laughing at the surreal feel this virtual world had.

"Lucy, that you?" Gray's voice broke through my trance and I looked over my shoulder. He looked exactly the same.

"The entire purpose to this is to be someone else, you know," I scolded him. "You look almost exactly the same. The scar on your forehead is missing. And how did you know it was me?"

"Well it's not like SAO gave me the option of putting a scar there," he scoffed, ignoring my question, and looked over my avatar's shoulder. "Is that Natsu?"

"Huh?" I turned around to see- Natsu looked the same. "You too?!"

Natsu turned and he grinned. "Yo, Lucy."

"Am I the only one who changed what I look like?" I threw my hands up in exasperation as Natsu sauntered over. "All Natsu's missing is his scarf."

"I'll have to buy one. In the beta, I found one that was made of a dragon's scales! I'm totally getting that one," Natsu looked… weird without his scarf. My brain kept trying to project the white material onto him.

"Where's Erza?" Gray asked, looking around. "I bet she looks like her beta avatar."

Just then, a girl with red hair and brown eyes walked up. My eyes bugged. "Erza looks the same too!"

"I see we're all here. Good, let's get to the weapon shops," Erza grabbed Natsu by the back of his avatar's shirt and dragged him off, leaving Gray and I to follow after, weaving through the growing crowd of players.

 _This feels so real,_ I thought as I followed Erza through the town. I brought my hands back up and stared. _Like real life._

Something crashed into me from behind, and I fell forward onto my hands and knees with a,"Kya!"

"Oops, sorry about that," a tall boy with long black hair. He ran off again, but not before I read his gamertag. _Kirito._

"You okay?" Gray looked back and held out a hand, which I gladly took as he helped me to my feet.

"I'm fine. Where did Erza and Natsu go?" I asked and brushed my avatar's hair out of my face. Gray pointed to a shop with two crossed swords on the sign.

"Weapon shop."

"Ooh, let's go," I smiled and skipped across the street to the virtual store. I pushed open the door, shivering at how real it felt under my hand, and took a look inside.

Shelves lined the walls, and an assortment of weapons were hung on the walls. Anything from maces to swords to spears to knives. My jaw dropped as I walked through the door, taking it all in. I spotted Erza looking over a collection of swords and Natsu wandering aimlessly around the store. There was an NPC behind the counter, smiling at us.

"How do I open the menu again?" I asked. Natsu snorted and used two fingers to swipe down in the air.

I did the same and marveled at the screen that popped up in front of me. I pressed one of the buttons that popped up, labeled _**Skills**_. There was only one.

"What's _**Celestial Summon**_?" my eyebrows furrowed. I thought SAO didn't have magic.

"What? I've never heard of that," Gray peered over my shoulder at the menu. "Wait, that's a level 40 skill! How did you get that?!"

"Level 40?!" I yelled, and Erza looked over. Natsu ambled up and looked over my other shoulder.

"Whoa, lemme check the info broker's skill list," Natsu opened his own menu and scrolled down a list. He frowned, and closed the list. "There's nothing called _**Celestial Summon**_ on the skill list."

"It's a unique skill? You're only a first level player," Erza strode over and pushed Gray over to look at the skill for herself. "This should not be possible."

"You guys check yours, maybe it's a bug and all the players have one," I said hopefully, and Erza checked her skill list.

" _ **The Knight**_. Let me check the description," Erza double tapped on the skill and read out loud. " _ **The Knight**_ _allows the player to change armor without opening the menu. Another feature is to be able to change weapons by calling the name out loud._ Sounds useful. What's yours?"

I double tapped and read," _**Celestial Summon**_ _grants the player twelve keys that allow them to summon a Zodiac Celestial Spirit. Depending on the player's level, they can summon up to six spirits at a time._ "

"That sounds a bit like Beast Taming. Maybe I have one," Gray opened his skill list and read it to us. " _ **Ice Make**_ _allows the player to create structures or weapons made of ice by stating whatever the player wishes to create out loud._ "

" _ **Fire Dragon Slayer**_ _allows the player to take on the abilities of a Fire Dragon, including breathing fire, using fiery punches, and eating fire for a power boost of 20%_ ," Natsu read and pumped a fist into the air. "AW YEAH! TAKE THAT ICE PRINCESS!"

"Quiet down," Erza whacked Natsu upside the head and he shut up. I guess he didn't really have a choice, considering he was out cold on the floor. "It seems that we each have Level 40 skills. We should report this to the Game Master. It could be a bug."

"Speaking of which, what time is it?" Gray opened his menu. "Our pizza should be coming. Let's logout."

I swiped my fingers down and looked for the logout button. "Where's the logout again?"

Natsu got up from the floor and looked over my shoulder again. "It's right here." And pointed.

"No it isn't. There's nothing there," my stomach twisted and I frowned. "Did they move it since the beta?"

"Lemme see," I felt Natsu's chin leave my shoulder and turned around, the menu bobbing along after. He peered down at his own menu. "Hey Erza, did they move the logout button? The symbol's here, but it's not doing anything."

"I was not notified, and the GM is not responding. This is a particularly serious bug."

"If we can't logout… " I started and shivered. This would cause huge repercussions.

"Well, I'm sure they'll fix it. They gotta let us out," Natsu smiled easily and put his hands behind his head. "In the meantime, I wanna test out this skill!"

I laughed and closed the menu. "Yeah, pizza can wait."


	2. Kayaba!

**Chapter Two**

 **Lucy's POV**

" _ **Celestial Summon:**_ **Aquarius!** " I held the key in the flowing water and saw the bar that gauges my Celestial Power drain a little. Blue light flashed and a mermaid with long blue hair holding a light blue urn appeared in the small stream.

"Whoa," Gray clapped and I stepped back as the Celestial Spirit opened her eyes.

The spirit shot a glare at all of us, and my happy state of being withered. "Why did you summon me? _EH_?"

"I just wanted to test out my skill," I squeaked and Aquarius's glare hardened.

"You summoned me for no reason? Summon me like that for no reason again and I'll kill you," she gave another scowl and disappeared in another flash of blue.

"Who's next?" I managed before turning back with a fragile smile.

"I'll go! _**Fire Dragon's Roar!**_ " Natsu yelled and a burst of fire erupted from his mouth, shooting off into the distance, hitting a tree. **Immortal Object**.

"Cool," Gray admitted. "But I bet mine is more awesome than yours!"

"Fat chance!" Natsu scoffed and crossed his arms. "You go, then!"

" _ **Ice Make: Hammer!**_ " a huge ice hammer appeared in the sky and dropped on Natsu, who was smushed under it. I gasped.

"Is he okay?" I asked and Gray laughed.

"Silly question, Natsu can take just about anything. And we don't feel pain in this game, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess," just then, the hammer burst into flame and exploded like stuff in SAO does..

"MWAHAHAHAHA! YOUR ICE IS NO MATCH FOR MY FLAMES!" Natsu screamed and emerged from a human shaped hole. "I'M TOTALLY FINE!"

"Your shivering," I pointed out and Natsu shook his head, arms beginning to steam. He emerged from the cloud of mist perfectly normal.

"Well, I guess now that we're done, we should go find Erza," I suggested. I opened the Friend menu and clicked Erza's icon. "Hmm, she's-"

My body tingled, and for a moment, all I saw was what resembled blue flames. When the flames cleared, I was back in the starting plaza. "Guys?"

"Yeah?" I turned to see Natsu standing behind me, with Gray in a headlock.

"What are you doing?" I sweatdropped. Gray was trying to free himself, with no luck.

"He was standing too close. I like my personal space!"

"Says the guy who invites himself to my house without even _telling_ me! And then goes through all my stuff!"

"That's _your_ space, not mine. I ain't got a problem with your space."

"You-" Natsu was saved from murder when the crowd went quiet. Confused, I looked around and saw that everyone was staring up at the sky. Following their gaze, I saw that a warning sign had been placed in the sky.

As I watched, the sign multiplied until there was a red dome covering the central plaza. My stomach twisted and lowkey panic filled my body. _What was going on?_

Red goo seeped from the top of the dome, oozing into the shape of a red robe with golden trim. Two gloves protruded from the sleeves, but there weren't any visible arms. Instead of having a face, the person's hood had purple smoke blowing out of it.

"Is that the Game Master?"

"Why doesn't he have a face?"

"Is this an event?"

"I'm scared," a girl said, and from the corner of my vision, I saw her clutch another boy.

"Don't worry, it's just part of the opening ceremony," the boy replied.

"Attention, players," a voice boomed from the robe, and it's arms lifted, forming a cross. "I welcome you, to my world."

"What does he mean by that?" I heard a boy mumble.

"I am Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment, I am in control of this world," the man continued.

"Seriously?"

"That's the creator of SAO."

"Is that really him?"

"That's some entrance."

"I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus," Akihiko continued. "The logout button."

The glove swiped down and opened the main menu. "Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how Sword Art Online was meant to be."

"He's kidding, right?"

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO," Kayaba continued as the feeling of panic spread through my body with each word. "And no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter from inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain, and ending your life."

"H-hey Natsu, what's he talking about?" I stuttered. Natsu had long since let go of Gray to stare up at Akihiko Kayaba, but now he turned his attention to me. My arms were hugging myself, and I could feel my hands shaking a bit. Natsu didn't say a word, just slowly wrapped his hands around my arms, making them release my torso, and let them drop to my sides. He put a hand on the side of my arm, and I felt the warmth travel through my body.

"Huh, are you listening to this crap? He's gotta be nuts right? Right Kirito?" I turned at the mention of that name.

"He's not, the transmitters in the headgear work just like microwaves. If the safeties disabled it could fry your brain," I heard the boy who knocked into me before say.

"Couldn't someone cut the power or..?"

"That won't work, the NerveGear's got an internal battery," Kirito replied, and my hopes plummeted.

"Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear," Kayaba stated, and the sinking feeling only got worse. "An unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, the game now has 213 less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."

"Two hundred thirteen?"

"No way! I don't believe it!"

"As you can see, national media outlets have round the clock coverage of everything, including the deaths," tons of media popups appeared and floated around Akihiko Kayaba, showing the news, articles, and death counts."At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game.

It's important to remember the following. There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system," the floating windows closed with tiny beeps. "Forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain."

Silence. Destroy our brain? So, if we die in the game, we die in real life?

"There is only one way for a player to escape now. You must clear the game," Kayaba pulled a up a three dimensional map of Aincrad, showing all the floors. "Starting on Floor 1, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"Why should we believe any of the crap you're saying?!"

"This is crazy, we can't defeat all 100 's freaking impossible. Even the beta testers never made it that high!"

I looked to Natsu for confirmation of this fact, and when he nodded, frowning, I leaned against his hand, which he removed to wrap around my shoulders.

"Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please, have a look," with a slightly shaky hand, I opened my menu and saw the other players doing the same. A mirror?

I placed it in my hand and looked into it, seeing my avatar's face. What was this for? And then we were engulfed in the blue fire, and I felt my body tingle again. I heard people yelling, and I closed my eyes. There was a blinding light, and then it was gone.

I opened my eyes in confusion, but the only thing I saw was Natsu's arm. He let go of me and held up his mirror. "What?"

My face was staring back up at me, and when I looked at Gray, I saw that the scar on his forehead had appeared. We looked like our real life selves.

"Great, I still have to look at your ugly mug," Natsu teased Gray, and they butted heads. I pulled them apart, shushing them.

"As of now, you are probably wondering why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my own design," Kayaba explained. "As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck."

The robe fell and disappeared, the red goo retreating back into the dome, and suddenly, the sky was back to normal. A pregnant silence blanketed the plaza, and for a while, no one did anything. And then a mirror dropped, and a girl screamed. Mass panic ensued. Everyone was screaming, they were running around like lunatics.

A cold hand encircled my wrist, and I looked down to see that Gray had a hold of me.  
"Grab Natsu and let's go. We have to find Erza and get to the next town."

"R-right," I grabbed a hold of Natsu by the elbow and dragged him behind me until he ran on his own, keeping a hand on my arm so we wouldn't get separated in the crowd. "Look, over there!"

Erza was making her way to us, armor already equipped. She pointed to the other side of the plaza, shouting,"Meet me in the inn!"

* * *

 **Alrighty, I've got an extra long chappie just for you! \\(^o^)/**

 **Okay, so this was quick, but don't get your hopes up! My laziness knows no bounds.**

 **For those people who liked my story:**

 _ **dianaemrys15 ***_

 _ **Dragonspirit996 ***_

 _ **kakikorn8633 ***_

 _ **InfinityZero1 ***_

 ** _Shadowtalon62 *_**

 ** _Theothergy *_**

 ** _Alyssa983 *_**

 **Arigato!**


	3. The River of Stars

**Chapter Three**

 **Lucy's POV**

The inn was rather small, deserted, and comfortable. All four of us sat around a small wooden table in silence. I stared down at the table, hands folded in my lap.

"What does this mean?" I asked no one in particular. "What will happen to us?"

"I'm sure that we'll clear the game, Lucy. However, we beta testers didn't even make it higher than level 10, so it will likely take a while," Erza answered softly, and I glanced around the table. Everyone had serious expressions, even Natsu.

"Okay, so how do we clear it?" I asked, gazing around at them hopefully. "If we can do that, we can go home."

"Well, first they need to find the boss room for this level. We need to gear up for that, though," Gray rubbed his chin and his eyebrows knit. "We should go to the next town, the hunting grounds around here will be wiped clean."

"Good idea," Erza nodded and turned to Natsu. "What do you think?"

He just grunted in agreement and looked away. I raised an eyebrow, but Natsu didn't look at any of us. Gray cleared his throat. "Well, we better get a move on. We'll need weapons."

"What about our skills?" I asked curiously. "We can use those, right?"

"It's good to have a weapon just in case," Erza answered for Gray. "And my skill requires weapons and armor."

"Oh, I see," _Geez, why am I such a noob?_ "Well, let's go, then."

Gray stood up, somehow having lost his shirt. I sweatdropped, "Gray, your clothes."

"What about my- ack! How does that even work?!" he yelled, looking down and finding his shirt had disappeared. "I thought I was safe!"

After Gray had gotten his shirt back, we followed Erza out the door, making our way through the winding streets and finding the weapon shop. There were hardly any players around, and some that we encountered were just sitting in the street, staring off into space. The weapon shop was packed. Players were milling around, waiting in the long line of players buying weapons.

"Let's split up, we'll find what we need faster that way," Gray suggested.

"Right," I muttered and tried to find an empty part of the shop. And then I saw it.

A whip hung in front of me, it was brown, completely covered in small rhombs, and possessed a notably large handle, in comparison to the thin rope part. It ended in a distinctive, heart-shaped cracker. Something drew me towards it, although it did not look particularly special. I tapped the space in front it, and an item name came up.

 _ **Fleuve d'étoiles:**_

 _ **The River of Stars**_

 **15,000 cor**

I knew what I wanted. _**The River of Stars**_ … It fit my Celestial theme. I turned around on one foot, and, spotting Natsu in the crowd, made my way over to where he was checking out a sword. "I know what I'm getting."

"Mm, that's nice Luigi," he muttered, flapping a hand in my direction.

"Really?!" I scoffed and a tick mark appeared on my forehead. "It's Lucy! You know that!"

"Yeah, okay Luce," he stopped staring at the sword and glanced up. He looked… worried almost. "Let's go."

"Uh, okay," I stepped back and watched him closely. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured, flashing a quick grin. "Let's go find Erza and Stripper."

"Right," I followed him through the crowded store, finding Erza looking at a collection of swords that each had blue wings on the blade, and white wings protruding from the hilt. A ruby was set in each one.

"Do those all go together?" I asked her and she looked over with a happy expression.

"Yes, these will come in handy for my skill," she glowed and went back to caressing the hilt of one. "Do you know what you're buying?"

"Yeah," I answered, glancing over to where the whip was hanging.

"I'm not gettin' anything," Natsu proclaimed and Erza and I looked over at him in surprise.

"Really? Don't you want some sort of backup weapon?" I questioned. Erza nodded in agreement with me.

"You could die if your power ran out," Erza supported.

"Like that'll happen! Besides, I don't need it," he huffed and put his hands behind his head.

"Okay, if you insist," I shrugged and looked around. "Where's-"

"EEEP! WHY ARE YOU STRIPPING?!" I heard a girl cry from the other side of the shop.

"There he is," I muttered and struggled past the crowd in the weapon shop. I emerged suddenly, which caused me to stumble forward without the support of the my other players. Then I looked up.

The shoppers had given my friend a wide berth, and a girl was pointing at him with a look of terror, which was probably because he was only wearing boxers. I stood up straight and sweatdropped.

"Look, it's not what you think-" Gray put his hands up, but I slapped a hand over his mouth before he made this any worse.

"I'm sorry, my friend here has a stripping habit, which was developed in a very traumatizing experience. I'll get him some clothes," I apologized shortly to the girl and opened my menu. A shirt and pants popped into existence. "Here Gray, I picked these up for you."

"Thanks, Lucy," he thanked as he pulled the clothes on. The crowd still gave him some space, but the girl looked better, like she wasn't about to run away. When Gray finished dressing himself, I wrapped my hand around his cold wrist and dragged him off to Erza and Natsu.

"We're heading to the next town," Erza was saying. "We'll need to get there before the others so we can get more exp. and money."

"Sounds good," Gray interrupted before turning to me. "So, Lucy. What kind of trauma did I experience this time?"

"I count your crazy family as traumatizing," I shivered at the memory. "No offense."

Gray shrugged it off, "I've known they were crazy for a long time."

"We have to focus," Erza declared. "Did you buy your weapons yet?"

"Oh, I completely forgot about that," I snapped my fingers. "Wait for me."

Without another word, I raced over to the shrinking line and opened my menu. _I have 20,000 cor from killing all those monsters with my keys in the hunting grounds when we first got here…_ I shivered at the memory. The only key I hadn't used was Aquarius, so I decided to just test it, but she was… less than pleased. _Focus!_ _ **The River of Stars**_ _was 16,000, so I'll have 4,000 cor left for other things._

"Next in line?" the NPC called. I stepped up to the counter as a trade menu opened in front of me.

 **Please select which item you would like to trade for.**

 _ **The River of Stars**_

 _ **16,000 cor**_

 **Are you sure you want to make this trade?**

 _ **Yes**_

I saw _**The River of Stars**_ appear in my inventory and the window closed. I stepped back, but my foot hit something other than floor. It was someone's foot. "Eh?"

I slipped back, crashing into the person behind me, arms flailing. My head connected hard with the floor, and I winced before remembering that it didn't hurt. The person I fell into muttered a curse and I felt my arm being pushed off. I propped myself up on my elbows and gathered my legs underneath me, pushing off the ground so I was crouched on the floor. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine," the boy behind me grunted and I recognized the boy from before, Kirito. I quickly stood up and turned around on one foot.

"Hey, you're the guy who knocked me over before," I accused. "I recognize your voice!"

"Oh, that was you? Well I guess now we're even, huh?" Kirito joked and rubbed the back of his neck. He had short dark hair and black eyes with a slightly girlish face, and looked to be slightly younger than me, maybe 15 or 16.

I eyed him before answering,"Yeah I guess."

I moved out of the way for him and he stepped up to the counter. I walked over to where my friends were, but I cast a curious look over my shoulder. _There's something else familiar about him. The way he held himself…_

oOo

"You okay, Lucy? You look distracted," Erza commented as we walked along the path. The field spread out on either side of us, the moon was the only thing illuminating the way in front of us. Armor and swords clinked, and there was little conversation.

"I'm fine," I assured before going back to my thoughts. _Kirito's aura… Erza, Natsu, and Gray had it too. Wait, was he a beta tester?_

I was wrenched out of my thoughts when a growl ripped through the quiet night. My hand went to my side where my keys were and all four of us stopped. Light bloomed as Natsu lit his hands. I pulled out Loke's key and held it in front of me, staring into the shadows around us.

Light flashed and a pair of red gleaming eyes shown for a moment before the monster growled again. And then a creature leaped from the darkness. It was a wolf, with white legs and a white face, while the rest of the creature was covered in thick brown fur. It landed on all fours in the pool of light surrounding us and growled again.

"It's a **Dire Wolf**! The stomach is it's most vulnerable part," Erza called out a rushed forward, sword in hand. The wolf leaped away as she thrusted forward, but she followed after, just as two more wolves jumped into Natsu's light.

Gray went after one, putting his hands together and yelling," _ **Ice Make: Geyser!**_ "

Natsu jumped at the other one with," _ **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**_ "

Gray pressed his hands to the ground and a geyser of ice erupted from the ground, effectively freezing the Dire Wolf and killing it. At the same time, Natsu slammed into the poor wolf with a flaming fist, killing it with one hit. Just then, a third wolf came into my vision.

Brandishing Loke's key, I summoned my strength and called," _ **Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!**_ "

Loke, as he told me to call him, burst into the fight. The golden glow disappeared as Loke jumped into action, fist aglow as he called out," _ **Regulus Impact!**_ "

Golden light shot from his hand as he slammed it into the wolf's face, moving so fast a trail of light was left in my vision. The wolf exploded in a burst of pixels, and the fight was over.

"Thanks, Loke," I smiled at the spirit before his gat closed. "Although it looks like we didn't need that weakness information from Erza."

"No problem, my Lucy," he flirted before disappearing. These spirits acted like real people, AI or something. Loke was a complete flirt, but it was harmless.

"Let's see what we got," Erza suggested as she joined the rest of us.

I swiped my fingers and navigated to my inventory. I got 40 cor from defeating the **Dire Wolf**. There was another item there. Dire Teeth. "What're _**Dire Teeth**_ for?"

"I think you can sell them for 20 cor," Gray answered and closed his inventory.

"C'mon! I wanna get to the next village before sunrise," Natsu urged us along as we resumed our walk as if nothing happened.

* * *

 **Stay tuned for more and thanks to:**

 _ **A Sleeptalking Demigod**_

 _ **Rhianna Park**_

 _ **kaseylee135**_

 _ **Skyline1912**_

 _ **theothergy**_

 **for reviewing Chapter Two!**

 **Update 1/8/16:**

 **The last part was just added.**


	4. First Boss Plan

**Chapter Four**

 **Lucy's POV**

It's been two months since Sword Art Online was declared a death game. In that time, no one has found the first floor boss room. However, there was a meeting being held on it because, supposedly, someone found out where the boss room is. That's where Natsu and I were heading.

Having just joined the guild Fairy Tail, our group of friends decided to branch and explore before forming a party. Apparently, Erza wanted to team up with Gray, who agreed saying that," _If I spend anymore time with Flame Brain, I might catch his disease"_. So I was left to look after a motion sick Dragon Slayer all by myself.

"How do you get motion sickness from a warp crystal?" I complained through gritted teeth. Natsu gave a grunt that translated to: I-don't-know-but-you-have-to-help-me.

The boy was slung over my back, his feet dragging since he was a couple inches taller than I was. His head lolled over my shoulder, almost slipping. I had to tighten my hold on his muscular arms to make sure he didn't collapse on the ground as I struggled toward the amphitheatre.

"Is carrying you really necessary?" I grumbled as his chin dug into my collarbone. He whimpered again, his breath disturbing my hair. "You're so _heavy_."

"Nnurgh," he grumbled.

"That's not even close to a word," I sighed, but I felt my spirits lift as I saw the entrance to the amphitheatre where the meeting was being held. "We're close!"

I sped up, spurred on by the fact that I would be able to put Natsu down. Checking the time on the clock tower nearby, I saw the meeting was about to start. "Oh no, we're going to be late!"

I ended up practically dragging Natsu down the street, hurrying into the ancient looking amphitheatre. They started just as Natsu and I took our seats, Natsu just kind of flopping down.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, let's get this meeting started!" A man with blue hair was standing on the stage, addressing the crowd. "So anyway, I want to thank everyone for coming, good to see you."

"My name is Diavel, and in this game, the job I rolled is knight," Diavel pointed to himself and the crowd laughed.

"Dude, there's no job system in this game," someone from the crowd shouted.

"Do you guy want to hear this or not?" Diavel waved his hands for quiet. "Right, anyway here's the deal. Our party found the boss room at the top of the tower today."

The crowd turned serious. I leaned forward. If what this guy was saying is true, the floor could be cleared in a matter of days.

"First, we need to defeat the boss and make it to floor two," Diavel continued. "The next step is, we have to tell everyone waiting in the **Town of Beginnings** that it _is_ possible to beat this game!"

"The fact is, it's our duty as the most capable players here. Do you agree, or not?" I bobbed my head, seeing others in the crowd do the same. Natsu sat up, having recovered from his motion sickness. There was a spattering of clapping.

"Okay! Glad to hear you're all with me on this. Now, let's figure out how we're going to beat the boss," Diavel spread his hands. "First off, We'll team up into parties of six."

Natsu and I glanced at each other, silently agreeing that only the two of us need to be a party. With our skills, Natsu alone would be enough.

"A typical party doesn't stand a chance against a floor boss. We need a raid group made up of multiple parties," Diavel talked over the low murmuring as the other players formed parties.

 **Would you like to join** _ **Natsu**_ ' **s party?**

I joined his party and saw his HP bar appear in the upper left of my vision. Diavel started talking again. "Alright, looks like everyone's teamed up. Now then-"

"Hold up a sec!" A voice interrupted. My head swiveled toward the noise in surprise. A gruff looking man with spiky orange hair jumped down the steps, landing in front of the crowd. "My name's Kibaou, ya got that?"

"Before we take on the boss I wanna get something off my chest," he said. Putting his hands on his hips,"We all know about the 2,000 people who died, yeah? Well some of you need to apologize to them right now!"

Kibaou pointed an accusing finger to the crowd. I felt Natsu stiffen. Diavel spoke up. "Kibaou, I think I know who you're referring to. You mean the one's who're ex beta testers, right?"

I looked at Natsu from under my bangs. He was frowning down at Kibaou. "Course I mean them! The day this stupid ass game started, the beta guys just up and vanished, right? They ditched all us beginners!"

I saw Natsu make a move to stand up, probably to protest, but I pulled on his arm, signaling to wait. Kibaou continued his rant. "They snagged all the good hunting spots, and they grabbed all the easy quests too. They were the only ones getting stronger in here. This whole time they've ignored us like we were nothing."

"Hell, I bet there's some of them here! Come on out, beta testers!" This time I had to use force to keep Natsu from going down there and giving Kibaou a good whacking, although I kind of wanted to go down there and Lucy Kick this Kibaou in the face as he continued.. "We should make them apologize to us. And we should make them give out the money and the items they got! Ya can't expect the party to trust them when they don't trust us. Why should we?"

"Can I say something?" A tall man with chocolate colored skin stood up with his hand raised and went down to the stage. He stood two heads taller than Kibaou.

"Hey, name's Agil. Kibaou, right? I wanna make sure I'm on the same page," Agil said in a deep voice, sounding calm. "You're saying the beta testers should be blamed for the rookies' deaths because they didn't help 'em, and you want 'em to apologize and give up their winnings. I leave anything out?"

"No, you didn't," Kibaou glared at him. Agil reached into his pocket and pulled out a brown book.

"The item store has these for free. It's a guide book, you got one didn't you?"

"Sure I got one, what about it?" Kibaou glanced at the book.

"Ya know who was handing these out? The ex beta testers," Agil clarified. The crowd murmured. When I looked at Natsu for confirmation, he caught my look and nodded. "Listen up, everyone had equal access to this information. Even so, lot's of players still died."

"I didn't come here to point fingers at anyone. I'm here because I want to learn from those players' deaths. I'm here because I wanna find out how to beat the boss," Agil reasoned. I nodded in agreement with him. He turned back to Kibaou, giving him a cool look.

With a whine in his throat, Kibaou went back to seat with a grumpy look. Agil sat down again as well. Diavel looked relieved to be able to continue. "Okay, can we get back to the meeting now?"

"For info on the boss, it's all in here," Diavel held up the **Guide Book**. "The latest issue of the guide book you just heard about."

"Seriously?" I mumbled in surprise.

"According to the book, the boss's name is **Illfang the Kobold Lord**. Also, he'll be surrounded by his minions, the **Ruined Kobold Sentinels**. **Illfang** carries an axe and a buckler. He has four health bars. When the last one turns red, he switches to a curved, sword type weapon called a talwart. He can change his patterns of attack, too," Diavel read. _He can change his patterns of attack?_

"That's it for the briefing. As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the XP. And, whoever gets an item, gets to keep it," Diabel closed the book and put it away. "Any objections?"

"Good! We leave tomorrow at ten in the morning," Diavel swiped his arm to the side. "Meeting adjourned, people!"

I got up to leave, Natsu following after with his hands behind his head. I sighed. "What do we do now?"

"Let's get some food, I'm starving," Natsu suggested, but I shook my head.

"You're always hungry, why don't we just go back to the guild or something?" I tried to think of something fun to do.

"Ooh! Follow me!" Natsu grabbed my hand and pulled me through the streets, narrowly avoided crashing into a small girl, three teenage boys, a cat, and a cart full of cabbages.

"Where are we going?" I wailed as I tried not to hit yet another player.

"You'll see!" Natsu turned around just enough to grin at me. My heart stuttered as I blushed.

We were on the outskirts of town, heading toward the forest. The sun was still high in the sky, birds were flying around, and suddenly we were under the cover of trees. Light streamed through the leaves, casting a soft glow over the forest floor.

We were going deep into the forest. A massive tree was said to grow in the heart of the forest, the Tenrou tree, and the Fairy Tail guild had claimed it as their sacred place. Maybe that's where we were headed.

Our feet pounding dirt, we sped through the forest, and soon the Tenrou tree was in view. It stood at least as tall as a skyscraper, casting a shadow that covered half the forest. I felt Natsu loosen his death grip on my hand, slowing down to a stop at the base of the massive tree.

"We're gonna climb it," Natsu announced.

"Excuse me?" Had I heard him correctly? Was he insane? Was he joking?

"They say this tree has the best view on the whole floor, and I've done it before, I'll show you the way," Natsu started stretching and warming up.

I copied Natsu's movements, touching my toes, windmilling my arms, and rolling my neck. He jogged over to the tree and jumped. He grabbed a handhold with one arm before finding another one and pulling himself up.

I tried to follow suit, but I didn't have much experience climbing trees, and it was slow going. By the time I reached the first branch, I was huffing and puffing.

I crawled into the branch and collapsed there, my sore arms dangling. "Can we take- huff - a break?"

Natsu looked down from above on a higher branch. "Suit yourself. I'm going straight to the top!"

I heard him move away, going farther up the Tenrou tree and away from my resting spot. Sitting up a little, I looked at my surroundings. There was a swirl in the branch that looked like a good place to sit down, as it was shaped like a crescent.

I crawled along the thick branch, which was just wide enough so that I would fall if I walked. Curling up in the nook, it was much more comfortable than I had initially thought. In fact, it would be a good place to read.

I opened my inventory and scrolled through. I had recently met a small, blue haired girl named Levy who was just as obsessed with reading as I was. Probably more, actually. She had loaned me a couple of her favorite books, so I brought out the one that looked the most appealing.

I cracked it open and read, totally forgetting my original purpose in the Tenrou tree.

 **Natsu's POV**

Natsu stopped climbing for a moment to check on Lucy. Sitting down on a good sized branch that could support three horses, he leaned down and was only slightly surprised to see her curled up with a book, eyes flitting back and forth as she read.

 _That's my Lucy_ , Natsu thought affectionately before grabbing a hand hold again. _Always so weird._

* * *

 **Thanks as always to people who newly favorited or followed and reviewed:**

Mike Uzumaki-Heartfilla

SkyLine1912

MegByte

Rhianna Park

A Sleeptalking Demigod

 **I plan on the next chapter to come out on Jan. 30, so every chapter takes ten days.**

 **Fly on,**

 **Viv**

 **(idk man, i just write)**


	5. Valentine Omake

**Valentine's Day Omake**

 **Lucy's POV**

Today was the day. The long awaited holiday where love and infatuation were celebrated. Valentine's day. Lucy sighed as she turned over in bed for the umpteenth time that particular morning. Light streamed into the room. It seemed that she couldn't escape the dreaded holiday even in SAO. In real life, Valentine's day was spent trying to ignore the meaningful glances and blushing as she hid the love notes and chocolate.

As Lucy finally rose from bed, hair mussed and breath rancid, she soon found that today was no different. She could see from her bed that a pile of pink, red, and white notes and envelopes had been shoved under the crack under her door. Since actual beauty was rare in SAO, Lucy should've guessed. She dreaded the holiday for a few reasons. One being that it was _embarrassing._ The other being that she never reciprocated any feelings. She hated to see the heartbroken looks when she let them down, or the deep disappointment. Sometimes the admirer was angry.

Lucy made her way to the bathroom, determined to ignore the small pile of love notes. Tapping the air over her shower, she turned the shower on the "steaming" setting. Quickly scrubbing at her body and hair, she thought about something that had been eating away at her mind. After all, the shower was the best place to think and make decisions. _Do we actually get dirty?_

 _Everyone assumes that we get dirty_ , she reasoned, _but I never see any grime or feel any oil in my hair._ The shower was there for normality and relaxation purposes, Lucy finally decided. After all, everyone has a routine. But it wasn't important, not compared to other things she could be worrying about. Although now she struggled with the idea that avatars didn't get dirty, it only brought their trapped situation farther into perspective. Stopping the steady stream of virtual water, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. She stepped over to the mirror.

Her face stared back at her from within the mirror. Steam had crept up on the edges of the reflective glass. The blonde picked up a brush and ran it through her wet hair absentmindedly. She had a meeting with her friends at the guild today. Something about celebrating. Lucy suspected they just wanted an excuse to drink booze.

Drying off, she stepped about of the bathroom and went about her routine. Soon enough it was time to go, but Lucy had one more thing on her list. Padding over to her desk, she took out a piece of paper and a pen, starting to write.

 _Dear Momma,_

 _It's Valentine's day today. Even though it's the same holiday, it feels radically different from Valentine's day back home. Probably because I'm all alone in the apartment, without you or Erza waking me up, or even Natsu, getting me ready for this dreaded holiday. This year it's even worse, because it marks another holiday I didn't get to spend with you. But I refuse to be sad, because when I get back to you, we're going to make up for all these special days we keep missing. I almost forgot to write this, but Natsu and the others are having a party today, I also counted the letters that arrived when I woke up. 26 in total this year, I think that's more than last year's. I haven't read them yet. I hope you're doing okay. We're all still alive, but I think you would know if we died, huh? Today is February 14, X2022._

 _With love, your daughter Lucy_

Lucy put down the pen and carefully folded the letter, putting it away in the box where she kept all the digital notes to her mother. Eventually, she would store the memory onto her NerveGear to show her mom when they got out of the game. "Okay, ready to go."

She got up from her chair and promptly left, making sure to lock the door. It was short walk to the guild, being in the same town. But each step of the way rubbed the buxom blonde the wrong way. The streets were festooned with red and pink ribbons and streamers, hearts could practically be seen in the air. Of course, Lucy swooned over a good love story, but this was too much. It reminded her too much of the annual Valentine's day dances she did her best to avoid. If Lucy didn't have to worry about rejecting her admirers, she would've loved the holiday. At least her walk to through the streets was over quickly.

As she approached the towering guild hall, she felt a wave of relief as she saw that the building had not been so gaudily decorated. Sure, a balloon was placed here and there, but that was just Mira. _Bless her shipper heart._

Upon opening the large doors to the building, she was assaulted with a variety of sounds and sights. Natsu was fighting Gray again, their childish insults bouncing off each other, unaffecting. Happy was nowhere to be found. Lucy's gaze lingered on the boys for a few moments in amusement before she turned elsewhere. Mira, Wendy, and Erza were baking heart shaped cakes, mountains of strawberries surrounding Erza. Elfman and Evergreen seemed to be carrying a conversation with their eyes from opposite sides of the room. Lucy spotted Juvia spying (stalking) Gray from behind a pillar.

All seemed normal for the guild. But there was a subtle difference. Everyone was wearing huge smiles, as if they had just received the best of news, all except for Natsu, who looked stricken. Lucy walked across the guild to Mira, who looked up at her with a knowing smile. "Why is everyone but Natsu so happy?"

Mira laughed. "Natsu was going to wake you up at your house, but it seems he found something else."

"Found what?" the blonde asked, her curiosity peaking. Natsu knew about the letters, they came every year, and aside from that, everything was normal at her house.

"That pile of love letters. He looked _worried_ about them," Mira got that gleam in her eyes that told Lucy she was not going to like her next words. "He's jeeeeeloous."

Lucy scoffed, but there was a blush dusting her cheeks. "Why would he be jealous?" she replied too quickly.

"Because," Mira giggled and held a hand to her cheek. "He's in loooove."

Lucy's face flamed a bright red. "Y-you sound like Happy!"

"Happy has the right idea," Mira laughed again. "The reason Natsu looks so flustered is because everyone was teasing him."

"I'm sure you're just over exaggerating," Lucy fanned the air before Mira. "We're just friends."

"I'm sure, but he wants more," Mira waggled her eyebrows suggestively and removed her hands from the dough she was kneading.

Lucy fled.

But the notion was stuck in her mind; Mira's damage was done. Lucy began to observe Natsu more closely. She knew her partner like the back of her hand, but what she saw as she watched him was something new. Whenever he looked at Lucy for more than a couple seconds, the faintest blush appeared on his cheeks. If they happened to brush against each other, he would shiver ever so slightly.

It got to the point where Lucy started to pick up the symptoms herself. She found herself staring at him, and when Natsu caught her they would both blush and look away, flustered. When they talked, she got distracted too easily by his lips, that looked so soft and perfect. As Lucy thought more on it, she remembered that pink on his face. It was subtle, but as she combed her memories, it was there.

And soon Lucy realized something as she sat, maybe too closely, to her best friend. She had a _crush_. On _Natsu_. It was the only conclusion she could come to. She felt the same way all the girls in her romance novels did, and it was directed at her best friend. And so when Natsu asked her what was wrong, she blushed scarlet.

"W-what?" she stuttered as Natsu peered intently at her face, getting very close.

"You're all red and sweaty," he put a warm hand over her forehead. The contact made it worse.

"I'm fine," she protested, leaning away from his hand. If he touched her any longer, she might die. A brief frown flashed across his face, so fast Lucy wasn't sure if she really saw it.

"Nope," he declared. "You don't look fine."

"You can't get sick in SAO," Lucy countered. This was normal. This was safe territory.

Natsu backed off, but he kept a worried look in his eyes.

The party was fun. The other members were merrily drinking their booze, Cana beating them all. There was music, dancing, and someone even passed around "Valentines". Lucy flinched away from them, Natsu casting her an understanding look. And then the party was over.

Lucy and Natsu left the guild together. The virtual sky overhead twinkled with stars, casting a faint light over Magnolia. The street lamps had turned a gorgeous shade of pink, which Lucy compared to Natsu's hair and cooed over. They were in Magnolia's park when it happened.

Lucy saw a strand of Natsu's vibrant pink hair had fallen into his eyes. He didn't notice it, of course, but it bothered the blonde to no end. He was mid-sentence when she reached over and smoothed it back.

He stopped talking. Lucy couldn't help it, she ran her fingers through his soft hair, marveling at how it could spike that way and still be soft and gel free. Natsu didn't stop her, just watched her with wide eyes. Lucy took that as a sign to keep going, moving down to the finer hair at his neck, unintentionally stroking his cheek with her thumb.

He let out a strangled noise, and Lucy pulled her hand back slightly, but he followed her dainty fingers, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. Her fingers continued to explore his silky hair, and she stepped closer for a better angle. She barely noticed when Natsu's hand touched her free arm, but she let out a sharp breath when his muscular arms encircled her waist, drawing her just a little closer.

His head was bowed, one of Lucy's hands still roaming his hair, the other one had come to rest on his shoulder. He was the perfect height for her, tall enough so her arms could fit comfortably around his neck. His hands still had a firm grip on her waist, he was looking Lucy in the eyes now. For a moment everything was silent and they were perfectly still.

 _Mira would be dead by now_ , Lucy observed. And then Natsu's head dipped forward, his eyes were heavy lidded and filled with that emotion Lucy recognized as love. This was it. She couldn't help it, her eyes closed as well and she leaned against the boy in front of her, both hands going around his neck.

She could feel his heart beating wildly against her, felt the puff of air against her slightly parted lips. Her own heart went crazy in her chest, reacting to Natsu in a way that reminded her of when the pair first met, when she was being cheated on by a boyfriend. But this was real, she could feel the difference in her very soul.

And then their lips touched, the warmth of his mouth pressed against hers and an involuntary shiver made its way down her spine. It felt electric, their lips moving together in harmony. Lucy felt hot, like every one of her nerves was on fire. And maybe they were, she was kissing a fire dragon slayer.

This shouldn't exist in SAO. This much feeling seemed impossible. But as Lucy's hands made their way back into Natsu's hair, making him sigh against her, she thought maybe she was dreaming. After all, Natsu had no feelings toward the opposite gender. There had been many occasions when he walked in on her and not reacted in the slightest.

She was distracted from her thoughts when she felt Natsu's hands move as well, pulled her closer and closer. His hands on her practically naked waist made her gasp into him. She was breathing through her nose, but she couldn't get enough air.

Lucy and Natsu pulled away at the same time, breathing heavily. They were still holding onto each other tightly, foreheads touching.

"Hey Lucy," Natsu spoke hesitantly. "Do you..?"

"Yeah," she whispered back. "I do. And you?"

"Uh huh," he said back to her.

"That's good," Lucy gave a breathy laugh. "Are we gonna go home now?"

"Yeah," he let go of her reluctantly. Lucy removed her hands from his hair and neck.

They walked the rest of the way hand in hand, a comfortable silence between them. _Maybe Valentine's Day wasn't so bad_ , Lucy reasoned. After all, she had Natsu now.


	6. Ilfang the Kobold Lord

**Chapter Five**

 **Lucy's POV**

After Natsu and I finished climbing the Tenrou tree, Natsu teased me endlessly for abandoning the climb and sitting down to read. "I'm not lazy!"

"Oh," Natsu drawled as we walked through the town. "But you gave up on the first couple branches."

"I was tired," I complained.

"Lazy Lucy," Natsu poked my side. "No wonder you're so heavy."

"Stooooop," I wailed, somehow unable to defend myself any longer.

"Alright," Natsu backed off. The sun was low in the sky, giving the virtual town an orange tint. "It's about time for everyone to have dinner."

"That's right," I remembered. "They wanted everyone together so we could go over the last few points."

However, we soon discovered it was just an excuse to party. Drinks were passed around, guys were laughing, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits, considering we might die tomorrow. I was away from the crowd, walking through the side streets, when I overheard a conversation.

"I didn't come to this town to eat good food," I heard a girl's voice say.

"Okay," a male's voice that seemed familiar said. "Why are you here?"

"So I don't lose sight of who I am," she replied. I stopped walking, straining to hear more. "I don't want to lock myself in a room in the Town of Beginnings and slowly rot away. I'd rather stay the way I am till the last moment." There was a short pause. "Even if a monster beats me and I die, I won't lose. To this game or this world, no matter what."

I decided to walk away then. But I couldn't help but hear the boy say one last thing. "I don't want a party member dying on me, so try not to die tomorrow."

They seemed to serious, so determined. I couldn't help but wonder, _Am I too happy-go-lucky about all of this?_

oOo

The next morning, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and our raid party was marching off to fight. Natsu and I were powerful, so we would be focused on the boss himself, not the minions. "Do you think we should cap our powers?"

"Cap?" Natsu asked and yawned. I guess even ten o'clock was early for him.

"Like, dial down our strength so the other players have a chance for stuff," I explained to the sleepy boy. He nodded lethargically.

"Yeah, sure Luce."

Ah well, I guess it was the best answer I could get from him. Soon the tower that served as the dungeon came into sight. The boss room had stone double doors and two fires burning on either side of it. I held onto Natsu's arm to keep him from eating the flames.

Diavel struck the stone floor with his sword and turned to face us.. "Listen up everyone. I've only got one this to say to you. Let's win!"

"C'mon!" He pushed on the stone doors and they opened with a grating noise that made me grit my teeth.

The room beyond was dark, and little could be seen behind the crowd. Diavel edged in, weapon at the ready. the others followed, wary of the surrounding darkness. I passed through the doors with Natsu right in front of me. "Creepy creepy creepy creepy…"

As soon as the last person had entered the boss room, a dazzling light lit up our surroundings. A roar reverberated in my ears and a red creature that had a blue diamond on its belly landed in front of us with a bam. Smaller creatures appeared around it, holding what looked to be rocks on sticks. All of them charged forward at us, and Diavel raised an arm. "Commence attack!"

We charged forward, and I brandished my whip, _**River of Stars**_. Natsu's hands lit up, much to the surprise of our fellow fighters, and he jumped at the monster, feets propelling him forward. " _ **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**_!"

The monster stumbled back, allowing the rest of the attack team to strike. I cracked my whips at it's feet. " _ **River of Stars**_!"

The whip came alive. A stream of eerily blue celestial matter bursts forth from the handle and was surrounded by orange-white light that twisted around its entire length. I lashed the ground twice before flicking my wrist towards the boss. Players scrambled out of the way as the whip extended, cracking against the monsters calf. I saw it's **HP** shrink and smirked.

I could hear Diavel calling out orders, the plan falling into place. Then **Illfang the Kobold Lord** 's **HP** dropped to the last bar. He gave a roar and threw his weapon and shield away with a flourish. They landed several feet away. I readied my whip.

"Stand back!" Diavel called out and charged forward. "I got it!"

 _That's not the plan_ , I thought. I watched Diavel charge up a sword skill, and the boss drew his second weapon. But it wasn't a talwart, it was an odachi! I heard the male voice from the town yell out in warning," Wait stop! It's no good, get out of there!"

But it was too late. **Illfang** pounced, going around and around the room until he finally landed behind our leader, slashing across his chest. A red line appeared, and Diavel fell back in surprise. My stomach wrenched.

The boss knocked Diavel away and roared at the other players. I saw a boy run to his body and turned back to the boss. Natsu's fists were aflame, but he reared back his head and yelled," _ **Fire Dragon's Roar!**_ "

A stream of flame hit the boss full in the chest, and it was blasted backward. Two players, a girl in a long cloak and the boy from before, charged the boss. They were doing great, but the boss threw them back. Natsu and I covered them.

The boy, I recognized him as Kirito, knocked the monster's sword away, and the girl rushed in and stabbed. She was quick. I used the opening and cracked _**River of Stars**_ against _**Ilfang**_ 's hide. Natsu punched it again. The four of us cut, slashed, and hit the boss, until Kirito dealt him a heavy blow.

The boss was carved in two as Kirito and his partner pulled off a joint attack. It exploded into shards of light, and a banner appeared.

 **Congratulations!**

Everyone cheered. A small window appeared in front of me, a special item.

 **Bonus Item**

 **Key of the Maiden: Virgo**

I almost grinned, and then I remembered Diavel. My spirits sank, as did the glowing lights that used to light up the boss room. I saw some players congratulating Kirito, and went over as well, Natsu right beside me.

"Nice job," I smiled at him.

"No…" he muttered, but everyone else was saying, "Great, dude! You rock man!"

Kirito's face changed, he looked hopeful. Then Kibaou shouted,"Stop cheering!"

The noise died down. "Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you let Diavel die?!"

"Let him die..?" Kirito murmured.

"That's what I said," Kibaou looked up with tears in his eyes. There was something else, something like hate and underlying malice. "Admit it, you knew the technique the boss was gonna use. You coulda told us! Then Diavel would've stood a chance, he wouldn't have to die!"

"I know why he knew, he used to be a beta tester!" a boy shouted. Natsu tensed next to me. "Think about it! He knew the boss's attack patterns. He knew, but he kept it from us!"

"And I bet he's not the only beta tester here," the boy continued with an accusing finger. I gripped Natsu's hand, trying to keep him still. There was a low growling sound coming from his chest. "Come on! Show yourselves!"

The crowd looked around suspiciously. Some people glared straight at Natsu and I. Then Kirito started laughing. "So you guys think I used to be a beta tester. It's not cool to put me in the same class as those noobs."

"What'd you say?!" Kibaou spat.

Kirito started walking through the crowd. "You heard me. Most of the thousand people who scored a spot in SAO's beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Hell, even you guys are better than they were."

A shadow passed across his face. My mouth was hanging open, and I could feel the barely suppressed anger radiating from Natsu like an inferno. "But me, I'm nothing like those guys, man. During the beta, I made it to floors that were higher than any of the other testers. That's a fact. I knew about the boss because I've fought monsters with way more sword skills on higher floors. I know a bunch of others things too, more than you can imagine, more than any info broker."

"W-what the hell," Kibaou looked horrified. "If that's true then you're worse than a beta tester. You're a goddamn cheater, that's what you are!"

The crowd yelled in agreement. Natsu moved forward, heading for Kirito. I followed him, casting looks around us. The other players were angry, and there was grief in their eyes. _They're looking for someone to blame, and that's what Kirito's giving them._

"He's a beater!"

"Beater, yeah I like it," Kirito opened his inventory. "You can call me a beater, just make sure you don't confuse me with those beta testers anymore."

And with that, a black coat appeared and settled across his shoulders with a swish of fabric. He started to walk away, leaving Kibaou to stare after him in shock. Natsu reached the orange haired man then.

"If you want someone to blame," Natsu growled. The doors leading to level 2 clanged shut. "Blame the boss."

"You heard him," Kibaou gestured. "He knew, and it killed Diavel!"

"I'm a beta tester too," Natsu hitched a thumb at his chest and took a step forward. "But they changed the way this boss acts."

"What?"

"Yeah, he didn't have an odachi in the beta," Natsu turned around and started towards the doors himself. "So blame the boss we just killed."

"Kirito was just playing along," I told Kibaou. "Because he didn't want to say that Diavel was also a beta tester."

We swept up the stairs and through the door as silence echoed behind us. Natsu sighed and asked me,"How did you know Diavel was a beta tester?"

"There was a last attack bonus," I explained. "I think Diavel was after it. It was the coat Kirito was wearing."

"Oh," Natsu said, and we entered the portal.

* * *

 **Okay, here are the thanks:**

Lindeee

Child of Clover

19kgjohnson

Immaboss101

Brat2111

knollthegord

Goo278

7Artemis7

GreenTeaZee

Neutral40

soulfusionresonance

NatalieJade-chan

Sapphire Water Maiden

DraaIzilUss

Venomous dragons bite

Bubbles1023

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FairytailSao

 **Wow, that's a long list. Feel free to leave a review, and if I missed your name, give me a heads up!**

 **Also, there was a guest (and I know it's the same person because it was an update to an email I got already from them) who apparently has multiple personalities. First it was "This is great!" and then it was "Wow you didn't actually update, so kill yourself". Kidding, but to that person: MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND.**

 **Fly on,**

 **Vivi-chan**


	7. Fairy Tail's Come Calling!

**Chapter Six**

 **Lucy's POV**

"It was Phantom," Mirajane proclaimed to us. My eyes widened.

"You mean the orange guild that's been at the top of the crime ring since the game started?" Gray asked.

"Orange guild?" I asked him.

"Player killers, or players who've committed a crime. Their cursor turns orange to indicate they're criminals," Erza explained to me. I nodded.

"So, they attacked our guild," Natsu growled. "Levy, Droy, and Jet, they were attacked by Phantom?"

"That's right," Mira's eyes watered. "Master's gathering the entire guild to go and attack."

"Let's go," Gray prompted us and we ran into our guild hall. I stopped almost immediately. We had stumbled into a council of war. Our smartest members were standing around a round table, arguing.

"There you are," Makarov, our guild leader, looked up with a serious expression. Natsu and Makarov had known each other from the beta, and Natsu trusted Makarov with his life. "Come over here, my children."

He also had the idea that everyone in the guild was family, not that I minded.

"We need to storm them," Erza casually joined the conversation. "That's the only way we'll be able to use surprise."

"No," another member, Cana I think, argued. "They would see us coming. We need to sneak in."

"I think Erza is right," I interjected. "If we're quick enough, we should be able to-"

"Let's just go already," Natsu yelled in the background. "We gotta do something!"

"We are doing something," Gray growled at the fire breather. "We gotta make sure we can beat them up."

Natsu sat himself down and crossed his arms. "Fine. As long as we char those bastards to ash."

Gray may be his frenemy, but he knew Natsu like a brother. It impressed me, even though I knew that Erza, Gray, and Natsu had been best friends long before I came along.

"As I was saying," I continued. "If we're fast enough, we should be able to get in without having them ready for us."

Cana considered this, then said,"Alright. Like Natsu said, as long as we drown those asshats in a barrel of ale."

I sweatdropped at that. "That's not exactly what he said…"

"Then it's decided," Makarov rose to his full height-only three and a half feet- and announced so everyone could hear," We're gonna storm 'em!"

A cheer full of bloodlust and anger rose up, and I found myself swept up in it. _Levy, Jet, Droy, we're taking revenge._

oOo

 **Third Person**

The members of Phantom Lord were peaceful. It was the calm before the storm, as the red players soon found out. No one suspected anything until a frantic member ran in and slammed the doors behind him, a look of abject terror twisting his figures. "It's them! It's Fairy Tail!"

"What?!" A member shouted. Other stood up, expecting the worse. The frantic member opened his mouth, but he was cut off.

WHOOM! The entire front wall of the guild exploded, hitting several members. A roar reverberated around the building. "FAIRY TAIL'S COME CALLING!"

Members of the strongest guild surged through the gap, picking fights with the members of Phantom Lord. Fires burned, swords flashed, and everyone was angry. Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Erza used their magic to fight, the other members of Fairy Tail watching their backs. It seemed like Fairy Tail was winning.

And then Gajeel came into the fight. He was an imposing figure, with metal studs for eyebrows and a thick mane of black hair. He made his way to Natsu, a challenge on the tip of his tongue.

"It seems you little fairies have come for revenge," he cackled at the Fire Dragon Slayer. "So the Shrimp and her little friends _were_ important."

Natsu's fire burned hotter. "Are you the one who hurt Levy?"

"Who knows?" Gajeel snarled back.

They fought viciously, neither of them getting the upper hand. When Natsu gave a powerful punch, Gajeel gave a forceful kick. It didn't help that Gajeel seemed to have a unique skill as well.

Lucy was fighting as well. A girl who moved like water was tricky for the whip user. She tried to use her keys, but the girl trapped her arms, taking her hostage. The keys dropped to the ground, Lucy's cries muffled by a gag. No one noticed her, they were busy with other Phantom members.

"Juvia has to take you somewhere," the water girl said to the struggling blonde. "Be quiet."

At the same time, Makarov was confronting the guild master, Joe. A crash came from the ceiling, and he landed in front of Erza with a sickening sound. He was green and gasping for breath.

"Master!" Erza cried, and all fighting stopped. At the distraction, Juvia slipped away with Lucy through a hidden door.

"Pull back!" The red haired warrior cried. "Retreat!"

And then Fairy Tail reluctantly pulled back, Erza and Natsu the last to leave.

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu demanded as Phantom jeered and laughed.

"Oh? Bunny girl is someone safe," the gruff voice of Gajeel said from above them.

"What have you done with my Lucy?" Natsu growled.

"Gi-hi," the iron man grinned sadistically. "She's going to the client as we speak."

Erza had to physically restrain Natsu. "We'll get her back! But for now we have to regroup and heal Master!"

Erza's steel logic didn't give under Natsu's fury at Phantom. "I'll find her! And when I do, you're all going to burn!"

Right before they left, Natsu saw his friend's keys lying on the ground. He picked them up and shoved them in his pocket. "You're all going to become ash for this!"

oOo

 **Lucy's POV**

My head hurt. My body ached. I couldn't move my arms, and my feet were bound together. The cell I was in was small, the only light coming from the small windows set high into the walls. I was starting to get claustrophobic, not being able to move.

And then a person opened the door of my cell. It was a greasy man with a ridiculous purple hat and matching clothes. "So, you must be Lucy."

I didn't say anything. He didn't seem to mind. "We have much to discuss. Your client gave us a very large amount of money for this job. Do you know of Gisley?"

I shook my head, glaring.

"He was looking for you or something. Actually, what's important is that we got an opportunity to attack Fairy Tail. "

I felt my heart lurch. _A reason? It was because of me?_

"Ah," Jose smiled, his greasy hair falling into his face. "That expression is delightful."

"Let me go," I spat. He laughed and tugged on the small side ponytail in my hair. I flinched away.

"Not before I'm through with you."

* * *

 **Here's the thanks for reviews:**

 _DQN2828_

 _Goo278_

 _Guest **(A guest)**_

 _ **If you want your name up, just leave a review. Also, sorry for such a short update, I'm sure you've forgotten about this story.**_

 _ **Fly on~**_


	8. Gisley The Perv

**Chapter Seven**

 **Lucy's POV**

I woke up in a rattling cart. Or, that's what I guessed it was by the vibrating and the sound of wheels against an unpaved road. I couldn't move my arms or legs, and in the corner of my screen, the sign for paralysis blinked. There was a blindfold over my eyes. I strained to move, to sit up, to hear more of the noises around me. Nothing, I just twitched a little.

A voice drifted into my hearing range. It was male and gruff, like the person had been gargling rocks. "I think the bitch woke up."

"Are you sure?" Another voice, female this time, asked. Shuffling, the sound of boots scuffing against wood, and something tugged the blindfold off of my face.

My eyes snapped open, glaring at whoever it was. My steely gaze met a face with metal studs for eyebrows. I vaguely recalled seeing him during the fight, Gajeel. He was grinning sadistically. "Bunny girl's definitely awake."

A sharp, stabbing pain to my unprotected stomach. It stung like fire, but I gritted my teeth and tried not to think about the pain. I saw my **HP** drop slightly, like I had been stabbed, which meant we weren't in town. Gajeel laughed cruelly and showed me the tip of hit boot, where a sharp spike of metal protruded. "Did you like that?"

I spat on the ground in answer. His grin widened. "Hey Juvia, it seems we have a fighter here."

"Juvia thinks Gajeel should stop before she dies,"the female voice from earlier, the one who kidnapped me, told him. "We have to deliver her alive."

"I won't kill her," the metal brute snarled and stabbed me with his boot knife again. It made me grind my teeth to keep from wincing. All the while, he kept it so I couldn't see past him.

A heel to my face, a fist to my stomach, Gajeel even brought out an ax and threatened me with it. My **HP** had dropped to the yellow zone, and panic was starting to set in. But I couldn't do anything with this paralysis. I wasn't even restrained, and all I could do was grit my teeth and try to keep from saying anything. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. _How do I fix this? How do I escape?_

An idea popped into my head when Gajeel opened his item menu. _Of course, all of my friends could see where I was on their_ _ **Friend List**_ _!_

But that didn't help me now. I had to wait for someone, anyone, to find and help me out of this mess. Or I could be killed.

 **oOo**

 **Natsu's POV**

Natsu had completely forgotten about his **Friend List**. Instead, he kidnapped one of the Phantom Lord members and questioned (read: tortured) him about information on where Lucy was. It hadn't taken all that much to make him crack. Natsu just had to set him on fire a couple times.

"Alright!" The man cried out and frantically tried to extinguish himself. "I'll tell you! Just put me out! Please!"

Natsu sucked up the flames and lifted the prisoner up by his collar."Tell. Me. Or. Die."

The prisoner whimpered and cleared his throat. "We got an order to seize her a couple days ago. From some dude called Gisley."

"Keep going," Natsu frowned. He didn't think anyone named Gisley had ever crossed paths with him.

"He lives in this big ass castle that used to be a dungeon," the man outlined a large square. "It's on **Level 5**. The town's called **Riften**."

That was enough for Natsu. He let the poor guy drop to the ground and pulled out a **Teleport Crystal**. " **Teleport: Riften**!"

A flash of light, and Natsu was in a different place than the woods where he caught his informant. This town was seedy and dirty. The wood under his feet was old and grey. It looked like this town was built over a body of water. The perfect place for a bunch of lowlifes to hang out in.

Under the stench of dead fish and something that smelled suspiciously of drugs, Natsu could smell the faint smell of flowers that always followed Lucy. His spirits picked up and he followed the trail, ignoring the greedy and suspicious looks the people here gave him. Soon enough, after walking through a spooky forest that wailed and groaned, the front of a large stone castle loomed in front of him.

There were two guards at the entrance. _This Gisley chump must be pretty high up._

Since this used to be a dungeon, that meant the guards could be harmed. Natsu cracked his knuckles. He was fired up.

"Oiiii!" he called to the guards. They snapped to attention, eyeing Natsu warily. "Is this Gisley's castle?"

"Who wants to know?" A stocky man with a large nose asked in a nasally voice. _Bingo_.

"Fairy Tail," Natsu snarled. He waited just long enough for the two guard's faces to contort in surprise before summoning his signature flames.

"Damn!" the stocky man leaped away just in time as Natsu's fist rocketed past his face.

He didn't see the other fist.

The stocky man's armor disintegrated and the man dropped stunned, not dead, to the ground. The other guard had his sword drawn. He was tall, built like a football player. His blonde hair was cut army style. "You won't get past me."

A minute later, Quarterback joined his companion on the ground. Natsu sneered at them and pried the doors to the dungeon open.

He ran through the dimly lit stone walls, punching the lights out of every thug he came across. He could smell the floral scent of Lucy growing fainter with each passing minute. And then Natsu was staring at the ceiling.

"The Salamander comes to play with fire," a snide voice came from above him.

Natsu was instantly on his feet. A man with black and white hair smirked at him. His sword was flaming. Natsu sneered. "Get the hell out of my way."

"I don't think so," the man flourished his sword. "I am Totomaru. Prepare to be killed."

Natsu unleashed his flames. " **Fire Dragon's ROAR!** "

"That won't work on me," Totomaru waved his sword through the fire, and it blasted right back at him.

Natsu caught it full in the face. It stung and burned, but he merely gritted his teeth and grunted. "What the hell?"

"My sword, **Magefire** , redirects your flames. There's no way you can beat me," Totomaru bragged.

Natsu tried again. " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

He hit himself in the face. It smarted, and Natsu was ready to kill someone.

Worse, Lucy's scent was getting fainter.

Totomaru's sword flashed. Natsu ducked as the blade sliced the air where his neck had been. Without lighting his fists, Natsu punched the bastard in the face.

He clearly wasn't expecting that. His nose was smashed into his face. Natsu saw his **HP** drop into the yellow. _Damn, this guy is such a pansy._

Totomaru sneered and clutched his nose with one hand. "What the hell?"

Natsu kicked him in the crotch. Totomaru dropped like a stone, his sword clattering to the ground.

Natsu didn't pause to gloat. He followed Lucy's scent. He encountered at least six more guards, but he blew past them.

He burst through a set of double door and stopped in his tracks.

"Natsu!" A familiar voice called out.

Lucy. She was dressed like a bride, but the metal head had a dagger at her throat. Behind them was a throne made of bones. A man sat there.

His hair was greasy, and his nose looked like it had been broken a couple times. He wore expensive armor and a gleaming sword hung at his belt.

"You've come to say hello," the man at the throne said in an oily smooth voice. "You're Natsu, correct?"

"What are you doing with Lucy?" Natsu growled in response. He didn't dare move, not with Gajeel holding a knife at his best friend's throat.

"To make her mine," Gisley cooed. It made Natsu's blood burn in his veins. "She's so beautiful, like a flower."

"I'll never be yours," Lucy ground out. "Let me go."

"My dear," Gisley didn't seem fazed. "You'll come around. Isn't that right Salamander?"

"Shut up," Natsu was angry. So, so angry. How dare they try to steal Lucy and marry her against her will?

"Bring her here," Gisley ordered Gajeel.

The metal head grinned maliciously and dragged Lucy to the man. She gritted her teeth and tried to escape. But the knife dug into her skin, her **HP** dropping a point or two.

"Lucy!" Natsu clenched his fists. Her **HP** was in the red. "What did you bastards do to her?"

"Taught her a lesson," Gajeel sneered. "Bitch tried to escape multiple times."

Gisley wrapped an arm around Lucy's waist. Fury roared in Natsu. He felt the air around him grow hot. He saw Lucy visibly flinch at the contact.

"Get _away_ from her," he growled. He didn't know how intimate one could get in SAO, but he didn't want to find out. "Get away from my Lucy."

Gisley smirked. "Or what?"

" _I'll burn you to ashes_ ," Natsu ground out as flames leapt around him. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white.

Gajeel took the knife away from Lucy's throat. "Leave this pyro to me."

" **Iron Dragon's Metal Club!** " Gajeel's arm did that annoying thing where it turned to metal. He swung it like a baseball bat, but Natsu ducked it and ran forward.

They met halfway. It was an exchange of blows, each more fearsome and deadly than the next. Gajeel, then Natsu, then Gajeel again. Until something caught Natsu's eye.

Gisley had gagged Natsu's Lucy. She was trying to pull away, but he pulled her closer. A tongue flicked her earlobe.

The room melted. Gajeel was thrown back as Natsu exploded in fury. A howl erupted from his throat, a fierce protectiveness causing an ache in his heart. "LUCYYYY!"

Gisley flinched away, taking his hands off of the blonde. Before he had time to say anything, Natsu flew across the room and punched him. " **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!** "

Gisley flew through a wall and collapsed. He was close to dead. Natsu had poured all of his rage into that strike.

"N-Natsu?"

His Lucy. She had the gag in her hands, her face terrified. Natsu's face fell and he slumped to the ground. "Sorry I scared you. I just…"

She came to sit next to him on the ground, her wedding dress puffing about her. "I couldn't be scared of you, Natsu."

He looked up into her eyes. "You saw what I did to that man, Lucy."

"I know," she gently laid a hand over his. "But you came and saved me, right? You fought because he wanted to kidnap me, right?"

He stared at her. The room around them was on fire, but neither cared.

"I couldn't be afraid of you if you did all that," she smiled and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, I wanna get out of this dress."

* * *

 **I'm SO SORRY! I've been trying to get through a lot of writer's block, and I apologize for this coming so late. I have a lot of unfinished projects, but I don't want this story to turn into one.**

 **I couldn't find fanart either, so I didn't have a lot of inspiration.**

 **But I promise I'll try my hardest to finish this story and come up with a master plot.**

 _~"There are more things on heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."~_

 **One more thing. I've decided to stop putting the people who follow/favorite this story because the list is getting hard to keep track of. Sorry :/**


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